I want to shoot birds!!

[playak47]

I have an e-pl1. I also have m.zuiko 40-150mm but feel like I need something longer.

I found adapted OM lens which is 300mm f4.5 on ebay. It will be alot cheaper than 100-300mm panasonic lens. As of right now I do not have the funds to spend on the panasonic lens.

What do you think?

OM 300mm f4.5 lens or panasonic 100-300mm?

 

[shoturtle]

If the bird is in flight, you will have a very hard time with just MF. But if you are after stationary bird, the MF will work. Just make sure you have the VF2 it will help out allot in getting critical focus.

both m4/3 300mm zooms are quite expensive. the only 75-300 is not cheap either. But I have seen some 4/4 70-300 with adapter that produce great images of birds. And at 300mm very sharp.

 

[playak47]

I dont plan on shooting them during flight. I dont think :43: is fast enough for that anyways. I like the four thirds option too but I have to buy the expensive adapter too plus the lens. Thats almost equal to m4/3 panasonic lens in price. But I have a VF-2 already. Unless there is significant disadvantage with OM adapted lens for my particular use, I think it would be a good buy.

 

[shoturtle]

It is big and heavy. And since you will be shooting up allot, that is allot of weight to put on the mount if the lens does not have a collar. You can find allot of the 4/3 70-300 used that are in great condition. I picked up my adapter on ebay, the panny one was about 90 dollars so it was a pretty good deal

 

[~tc~]

Don't rule out the 45-200 if you're on a budget. AF+OIS - lots of benefits over adapted lenses

 

[f6cvalkyrie]

I'm using a 45-200 coupled to a 1.7x teleconvertor (Oly B300), giving me 340mm of FL (680 if compared to FF).

Works well, and gives me an IQ that's good enough for me.
AF and IS are maintained.

Samples :

https://www.mu-43.com/f54/share-birds-4838/index14.html#post69750
https://www.mu-43.com/f54/share-birds-4838/index14.html#post70042
https://www.mu-43.com/f54/share-birds-4838/index15.html#post70414
https://www.mu-43.com/f54/share-birds-4838/index16.html#post71165

C U,
Rafael

 

[playak47]

What is a collar? I am assuming i'll always be holding the camera with two hands with one hand supporting the lens. Is that still too much pressure for the mount?

I'll look into the 75-300 4/3 and see how the pricing is but the 45-200mm is too close to my m.zuiko 40-150mm to buy.

I like the the idea of 1.7x teleconverter. Maybe that will be enough on my 40-150mm lens with total focal length of 255mm. I think effective focal length of 510mm should be nice. Right?

 

[snkenai]

I use the 70 210 searies 1 vivitar. It gives 420mm equiv. And is very sharp at f5.6. I don't mount it on trypod. P1 isn't strong enough to support it. I try to rest the end of the lens on or agains't something. Works great. You can see a cat's whisker when cropped at 50 yards-metres. These lenses in om mourt can be found on ebay really cheap.

 

[GaryAyala]

What is a collar? I am assuming i'll always be holding the camera with two hands with one hand supporting the lens. Is that still too much pressure for the mount?

I'll look into the 75-300 4/3 and see how the pricing is but the 45-200mm is too close to my m.zuiko 40-150mm to buy.

I like the the idea of 1.7x teleconverter. Maybe that will be enough on my 40-150mm lens with total focal length of 255mm. I think effective focal length of 510mm should be nice. Right?

A collar is a ring around the lens which allows you to mount the lens to a tripod. A heavy lens may bend the mount of the camera is screwed into a tripod with the lens extending out unsupported.

Teleconverters will degrade the IQ, more so with a zoom than a prime.

Gary

 

[JohnMetsn]

Are there any rules, what can be the max. weight of legacy lens mounted to our cameras?

 

[playak47]

I use the 70 210 searies 1 vivitar. It gives 420mm equiv. And is very sharp at f5.6. I don't mount it on trypod. P1 isn't strong enough to support it. I try to rest the end of the lens on or agains't something. Works great. You can see a cat's whisker when cropped at 50 yards-metres. These lenses in om mourt can be found on ebay really cheap.

Are you referring to the 75-210 macro zoom lens? I have seen some on ebay with OM mount. That could work too.

I looked at flickr pictures and searched 200m and 300mm. I found alot of bird picture with 300mm search which led me believe 300mm is probably better focal length to shoot birds.

 

[shoturtle]

collars are good for monopoles also, lighter and more stable then hand held shots at longer distances.

 

[JudyM]

The OM Zuiko 300mm f4.5 is a very nice lens, very sharp and not all that heavy. I owned one years ago for my OM-2n and wish I still had it. If I may add a thought though, I have a Canon FD 100-300mm zoom for my Gf1 and while the long focal length is nice, it does come at a price. I would give a tripod serious thought, because a lens with the equivalent of a 600mm focal length is a lot to hand hold. Not only does it magnify the image, it also magnifies every movement no matter how slight. Most people can't hand hold a lens with that kind of magnification without significant camera shake. From my experience, even when mounted on a 13 lb Bogen tripod, a stiff breeze can shake my Canon enough to blur the image. Also, until I began using a remote shutter release, the vibration from lightly pressing the shutter button would induce enough blur to leave me unhappy with the images. As for teleconverters, they can degrade the image some (some brands are better than others), but more importantly they generally cost you an f-stop or two.

Regards,
Judy

 

[playak47]

Thanks for the input Judy..If the lens is not too heavy do you think the OM mount and camera can support the 300mm lens if the camera was mounted on the tripod?

 

[Muntjack]

The OM 300mm f4.5 comes (or should do) with a tripod collar so there's no problem. I've often been tempted to get one of these as I have the adapter and very good copies are out there on eBay for around £125. If you go for it please let us know how you get on.
I am also interested in the wildlife aspect but am slightly deterred by the manual focusing being too time consuming for many fleeting photo opportunities. It may also look a bit daft on my E-P2.
M

 

[JudyM]

As Muntjack said, the OM Zuiko 300mm should come with a tripod collar. If it doesn't, you may be able to find one on Ebay or elsewhere. That would be the safest mounting option. The lens mount on my Gf1 is pretty strong, but I won't allow my Canon 100-300mm to hang on the lens mount, I always support it.